Worth a Closer Look - 2005/06
Servo Lab
The Servo Lab gives the RC modeler the ability to do several things, such as check out servos and set up aircraft without the use of a transmitter and receiver. It also allows the transmitter pulse width to be determined to an accuracy of 0.010 ms.
Powered from a 4.5- to 6.0-volt source, the Servo Lab outputs a simulation of the receiver's pulse for a single channel and can vary that pulse width from 1.0 ms to 2.0 ms. A pulse width of 1.5 ms is the equivalent of stick center and should center the servo. The pulse width can be adjusted manually to check servo travel, or the Servo Lab can be put in cycle mode to sweep the servo through its full travel. The cycle speed can be varied.
An ammeter can be used with the Servo Lab to determine servo and linkage current draw as the servo cycles.
Another use is to check the pulse width the transmitter is generating. In this mode the Servo Lab simulates a servo while the LED display reads the pulse width, which varies as the stick is moved. The function of trims and stick travel can thus be checked. If your radio uses digital trims, the Servo Lab enables determination of exact zero trim (i.e., 1.50 ms pulse width).
The Servo Lab retails for $39.95.
FMA Direct: 5716A Industry Ln., Frederick, MD 21704; Tel.: (800) 343-2934; Web site: www.fmadirect.com
F6F Hellcat Park Flyer ARF
A Navy favorite is available as an ARF park flyer! ElectriFly's new F6F Hellcat kit assembles in a few hours and includes an easy-to-install 280-size BB electric motor and 3.8:1 gearbox. The foam airframe offers realistic looks and comes factory-painted in the original Hellcat fighter's authentic colors. Other scale touches include molded-in rivets and panel lines, plus a dummy radial engine. A single-screw wing attachment and easy-access battery hatch speed the building process.
Specifications and requirements:
- Wingspan: 31.9 inches
- Wing area: 193 sq in
- Ready-to-fly weight: 13.5–16.0 oz
- Included: 280-size BB motor, 3.8:1 gearbox, 10 x 7 propeller
- Required (not included): three-channel radio with two microservos, ESC (10-amp minimum), and either an eight-cell 9.6V 650 mAh NiMH battery or a 2S 7.4V 1500 mAh Li-Poly battery
Street price: $69.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/parkflyers/gpma1159.html
Reference Book of International .15 ci / 2.5 cc Model Airplane Engines
Engine collectors and model-airplane history buffs will find this book fascinating. The 265-page spiral-bound volume begins with an introduction by Tim Dannels of the Engine Collectors' Journal, explaining the popularity of this size engine worldwide.
In the 1950s the FAI established the 2.5 cc engine as the maximum size for FAI CL Speed and FAI CL Team Racing competition. This spurred extensive development and production of engines of that size by many manufacturers around the world.
Author Jim Dunkin is well known in the FAI CL scene for his long-term involvement in FAI Team Racing as part of the Dunkin-Wright team that competed in four World Championships representing the United States. In the late 1980s he met Swedish engine collector Arne Hende, which led to trips through Eastern Europe and to Dunkin's efforts to catalog the many 2.5 cc engines produced.
This full-color book (a black-and-white version is also available) includes engines manufactured in Australia, Austria, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Each engine is shown and has a section listing pertinent technical and historical details, including:
- Generic name and engine name
- Date of manufacture and serial numbers (where applicable)
- Builder and designer
- Size and bearing type
- Intake type (carburetor, reed, or glow)
- Ignition type (diesel or glow)
- Exhaust type
- A paragraph of interesting facts and commentary about each engine
Pricing:
- Color edition: $100 plus $5 postage (U.S.); call for overseas postage
- Black-and-white edition: $50 plus $5 postage (U.S.)
James E. Dunkin, Box 695, Grain Valley, MO 64029; Tel.: (816) 229-9671; E-mail: [email protected]
POLO Digital Servo
Multiplex ModelSport USA has announced the POLO "digi 4" digital servo (catalog item M65125). The servo is notably compact: 1 3/8 inches long, 1 1/8 inches high, and 1/2 inch thick (excluding mounting flanges and the output arm).
Highlights:
- Narrow width ideal for narrow fuselages and thin wing sections
- Useful for electric 3-D models where speed and accuracy matter
- 9-inch cable for easier installation
Performance (electronics):
- Torque: 39 oz-in at 4.8V; 49 oz-in at 6.0V
- Transit time: 0.10 sec for 60° at 4.8V; 0.08 sec at 6.0V
- Three-pole motor, digital amplifier, dual ball bearings, metal gears
- Digital amplifier provides excellent resolution and accurate centering (trade-off: slightly higher current drain)
Street price: $49.95.
Multiplex ModelSport USA: 12115 Paine St., Poway, CA 92064; Tel.: (858) 748-6948; Web site: www.multiplexusa.com
Electric Revolution DVD
Electric-powered flight has come of age. This two-hour DVD from Airborne Media documents the latest trends in electric-flight technologies, including an in-depth look at Li-Poly batteries driving the renaissance in electric flight.
The DVD covers the 2004 Southeast Electric Flight Festival in Americus, Georgia—one of the world's largest electric flight events—and features electric 3-D, scale, ducted-fan, and helicopter models flown by top demonstration pilots.
Featured pilots include Quique Somenzini, Mike McConville, Gary Wright, Jason Shulman, George Hicks, and helicopter ace Eric Larson. The DVD also shows the new generation of foam 3-D Shock Flyers performing low-altitude, high-speed routines.
This release features high-quality videography, in-depth interviews, and extensive flying action. A preview trailer in QuickTime and Windows Media 9 formats is available on the Airborne Media website.
Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes. Price: $22.95 plus S/H.
Airborne Media: 714 Burton Dr., Liberty Township, OH 45044; Tel.: (888) 829-4060; Web site: www.airbornemedia.com
Reflection FlatOut Profile ARF
If flat-foamie RC airplanes are popular in your area, ElectriFly’s FlatOuts are worth a look. Using foam-safe cyanoacrylate glue, you can assemble the preprinted foam panels and carbon rods into a flyable model in two to three hours.
The Reflection includes a T-370 brushed motor, 5:1 gearbox, APC 10 x 3.8 slow-flyer propeller, and a propeller saver—delivering 3-D performance without a brushless motor.
Features:
- Extended servo arms, large control surfaces, and carbon-fiber pushrods for increased control authority and reduced weight
- Clip-hinge system on the tail allows up to 80° of deflection and can pop loose in a crash to prevent damage
- Complete landing-gear package included (wheels, axles, wheel collars, wheel pants)
Street price: $44.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/flatouts/gpma1116.html
Electronic Ni-Starter
The McDaniel R/C Electronic Ni-Starter is an onboard glow unit offering more than 45 starts per charge from its internal power supply and weighs only 2.8 ounces. It checks your glow plug before starting and can monitor it during flight.
Operation:
- When the receiver is turned on, the unit tests the glow plug. A solid high-intensity red LED indicates a good plug; a flashing red LED indicates a bad plug.
- To start, touch the glow-plug arming button; a high-intensity green LED lights while the plug is heated for an adjustable 30–60 seconds.
- After starting, you can remove or reapply glow-plug ignition power by touching the arming button (on/off).
- If the engine stops while taxiing, restart by pressing the arming button and flipping the propeller. If the glow plug fails in flight, the red LED will flash.
Pricing: To be announced.
Sonic-Tronics: 7865 Mill Rd., Elkins Park, PA 19027; Tel.: (215) 635-6520; Web site: www.sonictronics.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
